To hide their mansions on Google Maps to build trace of the panic of 50,000 dollars: thus spend the rich their fortune in maintaining their privacy

Perhaps nothing evokes an image of wealth like Nicki Minaj in his pink lamporghini of $ 400,000 or Mark Cuban coming out of his private jet of 40 million.

But in a constant connection era, some billionaires are recreating in ostentation in the name of security.

"La privacidad y la seguridad están inextricablemente vinculadas. Hubo un momento en que las preocupaciones sobre la privacidad se debían principalmente a agujeros financieros, como el fraude bancario o las deudas con las tarjetas de crédito", explica a Business Insider Gary Howlin, vicepresidente senior de Gavin de Becker & Associates, que brinda protección ejecutiva a multimillonarios entre los que se encuentran miembros de la Corte Suprema de los Estados Unidos o la CIA.

"Now, with all the personal information available through the Internet and social networks, people are using what was previously private information to discover where celebrities live, or information about their activities with the aim of provoking personal meetings with them,"Howlin explains.

As a result, wealthy people are proceeding with caution when making great manifestations of wealth.

Let's take the Kim Kardashian West example.The queen of selfies has always been known for flaunting her diamonds on Instagram and in the television program "Keeping Up with the Kardashians (the Kardashians)", but after being retained at gunpoint and were stolen more moreOf 10 million dollars in jewelry in 2016, he became more discreet about his wealth attenuating his photos on social networks, stopping many jewels in public and having 24 -hour security.

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

But an incident as violent as that is not an essential requirement to be discreet.

The CEO and magnates of the business world, such as Mark Zuckerberg and Richard Branson, have always been quite reserved, at least for the general public, but even celebrities such as Jennifer Lawrence and Melissa McCarthy are refraining from exhibiting their wealth.

Wealthy people go unnoticed at home

"There was a time when people really showed their enormous wealth; now," says David Forbes, head of the private office of the Real Estate Agency Savills, to the reporter Kate Allen, of the Financial Times."People's priorities over the years have changed. Now, at the top of the list, there is security."

De ocultar sus mansiones en Google Maps a construir habitaciones del pánico de 50.000 dólares: así gastan los ricos su fortuna en mantener su privacidad

Forbes explains that, although the rich still spend money on ships and airplanes, they do not want to attract the type of attention that these public exhibitions of wealth entail;That is why they are increasingly opting for what Allen calls life "out of the radar," which takes shape both small and on a large scale.

This implies blocking GPS signals within their property, removing their houses from the electricity grid or hiring architects to hide buildings, either designing an underground house or betting on an "invisible concealment design" for properties on the ground, reports Allen.

These privacy tactics are not cheap: an underground mansion was appraised at 185 million dollars last year.And those who do not have underground homes are paying up to $ 500,000 to install extremely safe panic rooms, which are becoming more popular than ever among the rich as violence with firearms increases, says Katie Warren, from Business Insider.

Joe Scarnici/Getty Images

Joe Scarnici/Getty Images

They also live in rich neighborhoods that prohibit the entry of Google photographic vehicles, which means that their residences do not appear on Google Street View.

Paul McCartney's mansion is not visible in view of the street, and neither are the houses of residents in Hidden Hills, California, where there are many celebrities, including Kardashian West and Kanye West, Lisa Marie Presley, Drake or MileyCyrus, according to Vanity Fair.

Try to place a location brand in Sea Island, Georgia, where several golfers of the PGA Tour live and where the average home costs 3.2 million dollars, and you will not find results in Street View.

Forbes explains to Allen that ghost companies and property structures allow the anonymity of property buyers, as well as closed communities.Housing owners are also spending more on home security systems, Apuntilla.

Gavin de Becker & Associates proporciona un nivel de protección muy alto. En las urbanizaciones residenciales, esto implica una sala de seguridad, elaborados sistemas tecnológicos de alerta temprana y un estricto control de acceso para mantener lejos a los desconocidos, ha afirmado Howlin.

AP

AP

"It is common for a successful and known executive to spend a million dollars a year, or much more, in a comprehensive security and privacy program," says Howlin.

This year, Facebook approved an annual security allocation of 10 million dollars for Zuckerberg and his family, an increase of almost 3 million dollars compared to the previous year, according to Business Insider previously.

The rich also seek privacy and security when they travel

But that security is not limited to the home, billionaires are also taking measures to travel more discreetly.

"If you are driving a convertible bentley right now in southern France, you are looking for problems, a couple of motorcycles will continue back to your villa," Forbes tells Allen.

Maybe partly that is why so many billionaires drive little luxurious vehicles.Zuckerberg has been seen in an Acura TSX, a Volkswagen hatchback and a Honda Fit, each valued at about 30,000 euros.Meanwhile, the heiress of Walmart, Alice Walton, the richest woman in the world, conducts a Ford F-150 King Ranch 2006, which is sold for around $ 40,000, according to CNBC.

But that is only on a day -to -day basis: traveling all over the country or internationally is in a completely different league.

Para esto, Gavin de Becker & Associates se basa en gran medida en la planificación y ejecución logística: los clientes desean que las habitaciones de los hoteles se verifiquen previamente mediante un alias y formas privadas de ingreso.

"Our clients will never be standing at the lobby counter to register, and even walking through public spaces is something optional," says Howlin.The firm also owns and operates the private suite in Lax (Los Angeles Airport), where the rich pay more than 4,500 dollars for having loneliness when they travel, which includes taking them to the track, protection of bodyguards and TSA lines (administrationof transportation in transport) "private".

"It is a sure shelter that offers the best privacy, security and services that money can buy," said Loudenback of Business Insider, who has traveled the luxurious terminal.

But that is when they are flying commercially.

Courtesy of the Private Suite

Courtesy of the Private Suite

Any plane, even a private, registered has a reference number and can be found, according to Xojet, a private aircraft operator on request.The billionaire magnates, the executive directors and the celebrities are changing to the charter aircraft on request to obtain more privacy.

"[For example], if you are a celebrity and do not want the public to know each of your movements, a charter plane ... allows anonymity since the airplanes are randomly assigned according to the sections," James Henderson, president of theCommercial Division Operations in Xojet, said Business Insider."Which means that you can never get the same plane twice, which allows full privacy."

Jamie Foxx, Fergie and Kardashian West have flown in private jet on demand through Jetsmarter, according to Travel + Leisure.

Renting a private plane is not cheap: a New York trip to Los Angeles through Xojet costs $ 25,000 per route.But for many rich people, privacy is priceless.